Lets try this again shall we?
by Sorcha O'Keefe
Summary: When nothing could be done for his friend being a werewolf, he became an animagus. When he was falsely convicted and sent to an inescapable prison, he waited twelve years…and escaped. And when he fell through the veil before his fight was finished, he w


The world is full of people who stubbornly refuse to face facts. Parents who insist their dullard children are budding geniuses, dreamers who believe in the tooth fairy way after the point of reason, or Melissa Rivers would all be prime examples of this. Most of us at some point dig our heels in about something. Right or wrong we refuse to see anyone else's point of view or give even an inch. It's just that some people live their lives in that state. No one was a better example of that then Sirius Black. When nothing could be done for his friend being a werewolf, he became an animagus. When he was falsely convicted and sent to an inescapable prison, he waited twelve years…and escaped. And when he fell through the veil before his fight was finished, he wasn't about to take it lying down.

Patty groaned at the sound of her alarm clock and hit the snooze button immediately. She had had the kind of night where you open your eyes feeling like you just closed them, and like you didn't get any rest at all. She had repeated the performance three times before her roommate threw a pillow at her.

"Get up Patty!" she shouted pulling her own blanket over her head.

Patty rubbed her eyes vigorously before reaching over and turning off her alarm clock.

"Sorry Lauren." said Patty sleepily.

She grimaced as she stretched. For some reason her left shoulder was feeling sore. Must have slept on it wrong she thought absently.

She wandered into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face, trying to wake up. She raised her head to look in the mirror and gave a startled cry. She spun around confused. For a moment she thought she had seen someone…but there was no one there.

"Ugh," groaned Patty. "I have got to stop going to bed so late." She frowned. As far as she remembered she had fallen asleep around nine-thirty. She shrugged. "There's proof. Late nights are actually better for your mental health." She told her reflection primly.

It only took her a few minutes to get dressed, except that she couldn't find her shoes. This wasn't unusual. Patty tended to misplace things a lot. She was a little confused however. She was sure she remembered putting them next to the pile of clothes at the foot of her bed. She settled for a different pair and made a hasty exit when Lauren started grumbling from the midst of her bedclothes.

Grabbing her backpack and still pulling her dark blonde hair into a ponytail she headed out the door.

"I'm sorry Eddie!" Patty cried as she rushed into the busy kitchen.

"Yeah, yeah, you're late you're sorry and you have a great excuse." answered a light haired man in a rough voice. "Tell ya what, kiddo, spare me the details and I'll just agree off the bat it's a miracle you made it here in one piece."

Patty smiled at him as she tied an apron around her waist. "Thanks Ed, you're a doll."

"Yeah and you're a waitress, go act like one." He retorted pointing her in the direction of the restaurant.

"Cady is the actress, I am but a humble student" Patty reminded him haughtily as she headed through the door.

"Broaden your horizons!" he called after her.

She chuckled as she headed for her first table.

Patty had worked at the Mayberry diner for almost a year now. She had come in one day not long after moving to L.A. depressed and nervous because she couldn't find a job. She hadn't had enough money to buy anything but coffee, and since she didn't drink coffee she just asked for a cup of hot water. Eddie delivered the water along with a burger and fries on the house. Eddie, a fifty-something former bookie had opened the diner several years earlier. He was a stocky, tough talking man's man, but he had a soft spot for damsels in distress. By the time the burger was gone, Patty had a smile again and Eddie had a new waitress.

Patty wasn't a particularly good waitress, but she had such a nice smile and was always so apologetic about mixing up peoples orders that customers forgave her. She was quite a favorite among the regulars. She may have been a little clumsy, and a little absent minded but she was funny and friendly, and her tips reflected it nicely

Later on Patty walked home in the dark. She had one hand on her pepper spray as she headed through the mean streets of Santa Monica. Normally it didn't scare her to walk alone at night, but she could feel her headache coming back, and for some reason that filled her with an anxious sort of dread. She quickened her pace. As Patty passed the gas station on the corner of her street a fresh wave of pain washed over her. She felt a hand grab her sleeve and she tore her arm away breaking into a run.

She frantically she tried to put the key in the lock, her heart pounding in her chest. It wouldn't fit! Patty's hands were shaking so much she couldn't get the key to fit. She could hear footsteps behind closer….closer…

"Patty!" said a voice sharply.

Patty spun around. Lauren stood behind her holding a couple of grocery bags in her arms and looking at her strangely.

"Patty, are you ok?" she asked her.

Patty let out the breath she had been holding. She could see their other roommates Anna and Meg looking at her from the bottom of the steps.

"I tried to stop you at the gas station and you freaked out!" said Lauren accusingly.

"Lauren you scared me half to death!" gasped Patty.

"Maybe you wouldn't be so jumpy if you didn't insist on walking around by yourself in the dead of night." Lauren lectured on. "Why don't you just walk around with a sign that says 'assault me, I'm defenseless'?" she asked grumpily.

"Sign shop was closed." retorted Patty. She breathed a sigh of relief. "I really am jumpy tonight….I've just had such a weird day. I think I need a shower."

"Well shower fast Pats, we've got to leave in thirty minutes." said Anna as she walked past Patty and opened the door.

"What? Where are we going?" asked Patty confused.

Patty had completely forgotten that she was supposed to go out that night. For the second time that day she found herself splashing water on her face. She stood bent over at the sink, face dripping into the bowl. She didn't want to look in the mirror. She scoffed at herself. _What do you think you'll see? The boogey man?_ She asked herself wryly. She took a deep breath and raised her head. A damp and slightly pale face with a sprinkling of freckles and big blue eyes stared back at her. The girl gave a sheepish smile.

_So much for boogey men…_

Just then her reflection changed. A man with pale skin and dark tangled hair was staring at her. His eyes were electric blue and flashing at her with an intensity that scared her almost more than the fact that he was in her mirror.

She screamed and fell back against the wall.

"Help me Patty!" the image said desperately. "I need you, I need your help…please…" and then he was gone.

Patty sank to the ground and clutched at her heart. Lauren was pounding on the door.

"Patty? Are you alright? What happened?"

Patty drew a long shaky breath. "Um…I saw a spider." She paused. "You know, I think I'm going to skip going out tonight." She called through the door.

Remus Lupin stood in the kitchen of his small cottage sipping a cup of coffee. He had had a long night. It was late September and soon he would be leaving for number twelve. He knew that he was needed at the headquarters as much as possible, but ever since Sirius's death a little over a year ago he despised the place. He hated it enough during normal conditions, but when it was a full moon he found it unbearable. So he had headed off to his ancestral home for the weekend. It was over now and for the first time in his life he found himself wishing that it would last a little longer, if only to give him an excuse to stay away from Grimauld place.

He was startled a moment later by a knock on the door. Pulling out his wand he checked to see who it was. Standing outside his door was a young woman he had never seen before. She had no wand on her but there was a bag at her feet. Cautiously he opened the door.

The girl looked up. "Are you Remus Lupin?" she asked nervously.

Remus was silent for a moment. "Who are you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Um, my name is Patty, Patty Chase." She answered.

They stood there in silence looking at one another. Finally Patty sighed.

"Look, this is going to sound crazy, and I'm not sure who you are even, but, the thing is…" she seemed to be having difficulty finding the right words.

"What is it?" asked Remus quietly.

"I think I'm being possessed be Sirius Black" she blurted.

Remus stared at her. "I think maybe you should come in."


End file.
